Nirvana at Iguanas 2/17/90

It was like the best punk rock song ever: Loud and dangerous and short-lived and did I mention loud?

It was the 1,000-person capacity Iguanas night club in Tijuana, and, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune archives, it formally opened on May 18 in 1989 with a show by dance-pop artist Stevie B and When In Rome.

When in Iguanas, the decibel levels exceeded the danger levels, barely. The venue is defunct, sadly, according to many a music aficionado. But the music? That lives on.

The list of bands that played the venue as alternative music began swimming in the mainstream is the definitive list of bands from that time. Their shows live on in sharp (and hazy) memories and saved ticket stubs: Nirvana. Rage Against The Machine. Sonic Youth. Bad Religion. Screaming Trees. Nine Inch Nails. GWAR.

John D'Agostino, writing for the Los Angeles Times in 1991, summed it up like so in this article on the place:

A quick Internet search showed the venue's legacy is not close to forgotten. There's mention here of a Bad Brains show from 1989. There's a picture of a poster from a 1990 91X show on Flickr. And here's the Linkedin page of the guy who says he founded Iguanas in 1989. No word on where the venue's name came from, though. Perhaps it was this lyric from "Mexican Radio," the 1983 Wall of Voodoo hit: "I wish I was in Tijuana/Eating barbecued iguana." Or not.

According to D'Agostino's story, American entrepreneurs built the 18-and-up club for $1.3 million. That first month, in May 1989, the venue showcased the Fixx, Sheila E., Pete Escovedo, Third World, the Wailers, TNT and, to jumpstart things before the formal opening: a Cinco de Mayo show featuring Jane's Addiction.

The average ticket price was $10.

(Props to former longtime U-T staffer and Night & Day editor David L. Coddon for remembering that first show was actually Jane's Addiction.)

Word of the nightclub's anniversary made Twitter super sentimental.

"Iguanas was the greatest, most dangerous venue that ever existed," wrote @ninagarin. "I miss it so much."

@chriscantore, who said he was at the 1989 Nirvana show, added: "been to a couple of shows in my day, the absolute BEST : rage against the machine / iguanas (10/15/93)."

Asked for her favorite show, @hilahil replied: "suicidal tendencies! i was scared."